Event Details

Regardless of where we are on marriage equality law on 8 December, a fresh national debate on human rights, individual freedoms and discrimination law has opened up.

The expectation is that by the time International Human Rights Day (10 December) comes around this year Federal Parliament will have passed legislation delivering LGBTIQ people marriage equality in line with the survey outcome. Still, there’s a chance the parliamentary debate on the marriage equality Bill will not be over. Meantime, the Federal Government has set in train an ongoing public discussion on religious freedoms with a national review due to report on 31 March 2018.

The ACT Human Rights Commission and Amnesty International (ACT/NSW) will hold lunchtime community forum on the implications of the marriage equality survey for Australian and ACT human rights and discrimination law. The forum will be opened by ACT Attorney-General Gordon Ramsay and the speakers are:

Anne-Marie Delahunt, Chair of the ACT LGBTIQ Ministerial Advisory Council. Anne-Marie is a member of the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal. She was one of the few people to be married under ACT's civil marriage laws before the High Court found them invalid in 2013. She is a long term member of Canberra Qwire and founding member of Rainbow Refugee Action.

Katrina Fanning, Director of Coolamon Advisers. Katrina has also worked in senior executive roles for ACT and Federal Governments including for Aboriginal Hostels, Centrelink and on the NT Emergency Response.

Bede Carmody, Amnesty International and Community Activist. Bede has long been involved in human rights and animal rights campaigns. Since July 2003, he has worked with Amnesty International Australia including its campaign for marriage equality since 2004.